Climate Change Policy / Global Warming

350 - Science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth. 350.org wants to take this number, 350, and spread it all over the world. It wants every human, if they know nothing else about global warming, to know that 350 represents safety. It wants to use protest and music and art and video and the net to make that number inescapable, ubiquitous. Everywhere.

Agenda 21 - The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development Climate Science Forum.

AlGore - The official website of Al Gore, including his climate campaign journal and action opportunities.

Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) - A coalition of small island and low-lying coastal countries that share similar development challenges and concerns about the environment, especially their vulnerability to the adverse effects of global climate change. It functions primarily as an ad hoc lobby and negotiating voice for small island developing States (SIDS) within the United Nations system.

An Inconvenient Truth - An Academy Award-winning documentary film about climate change, specifically global warming, presented by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and directed by Davis Guggenheim.

Apollo Alliance Project - Works for good jobs and clean energy, rejuvenating America's economy by creating the next generation of American industrial jobs and treating clean energy as an economic and security mandate to rebuild America.

Arctic News - This blog describes the situation in the Arctic, focusing especially on the threat of large abrupt methane eruptions from the Arctic Ocean seafloor. Contributors to the blog all share a deep concern about the way climate change is unfolding in the Arctic and the threat that this poses for the world at large.

Brief of Amici Curiae Climate Scientists - The legal brief filed by climate scientists to the Supreme Court in support of Massachusetts vs. EPA, 05-1120 which seeks to clarify carbon dioxide is a pollutant and can and should be regulated by the EPA.

BusinessGreen.com - News and advice for firms trying to reduce the environmental impact of their business operations, including reports on corporate social responsibility (CSR); green computing initiatives; paperless office technologies; efficient server and desktop equipment; low-power-consumption processors; teleworking, teleconferencing and telecommuting; technologies that can eliminate or reduce the need for business air travel; recycling and ethical disposal or IT equipment; plus other methods of reducing corporate CO2 output.

C40 Cities -The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) is a network of large and engaged cities from around the world committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate-related actions locally that will help address climate change globally.

California Climate Change Research Center - California has been researching the impacts of climate change on California since 1998 under the programs of the California Energy Commission. Research projects and publications cover topics ranging from climate change scenarios to the cost of climate change impacts on California.

Canary Project - Produces art and media that deepen public understanding of human-induced climate change and energize commitment to solutions.

Cape Farewell - Through its art program, Cape Farewell works with a number of key individuals, collaborators and partners to build exhibitions, events, film and media activities dealing with climate change.

Carbon Brief, The - Reports on the latest developments in climate science, and fact-checks stories about climate and energy online and in the press.

Carbon Neutral Myth, The - Report from Carbon Trade Watch highlights several ways in which the carbon offset approach to climate change is fundamentally flawed.

Caribbean Community Climate Change Center - Repository and clearing house for regional climate change information and data and provides climate change-related policy advice and guidelines to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States through the CARICOM Secretariat. In this role, the Centre is recognised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and other international agencies as the focal point for climate change issues in the Caribbean.

Climate Change (David Suzuki Foundation) - Climate change is considered by many scientists to be the most serious threat facing the world today. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Solutions include phasing out coal plants, expanding renewable energy sources and public transit, and creating new efficiency standards for vehicles and buildings. Offers resources on how to go carbon neutral at home and at work.

Climate Action Network (CAN) - A worldwide network of over 700 NGOs in more than 90 countries, working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels.

Climate Central - An independent organization of leading scientists and journalists researching and reporting the facts about our changing climate and its impact on the American public.

Climate Change Lobby - While President Obama's team readies to take on the global warming challenge, the special interests that seek to derail, blunt, or tailor any new climate policy to their narrow agendas have already gathered in staggering numbers. A Center for Public Integrity analysis shows that more than 770 companies and interest groups hired an estimated 2,340 lobbyists to influence federal policy on climate change in the past year, as the issue gathered momentum and came to a vote on Capitol Hill. That's an increase of more than 300 percent in the number of lobbyists on climate change in just five years, and means that Washington can now boast more than four climate lobbyists for every member of Congress.

Climate Connections - Eexposes the intertwined root causes of social injustice, ecological destruction and economic domination through the lens of climate change.

Climate Interactive - Provides easy-to-use, tangible, scientifically-grounded simulation models and interactive tools that help people see for themselves what options exist today to create the future they want to see.

Climate Investigations Center (CIC) - Established in 2014 to monitor the individuals, corporations, trade associations, political organizations and front groups who work to delay the implementation of sound energy and environmental policies that are necessary in the face of ongoing climate crisis.

Climate Reality Project, The - A nonprofit, nonpartisan effort founded by Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore. Its ultimate aim is to halt global warming. Specifically it is educating people in the US and around the world that the climate crisis is both urgent and solvable.

Climate Science Rapid Response Team - A match-making service to connect climate scientists with lawmakers and the media. The group is committed to providing rapid, high-quality information to media and government officials.

ClimateScienceWatch - A nonprofit public interest education and advocacy project dedicated to holding public officials accountable for the integrity and effectiveness with which they use climate science and related research in government policymaking, toward the goal of enabling society to respond effectively to the challenges posed by global warming and climate change.

ClimateStoryTellers - Presenting in-depth stories on all things global warming: on the Arctic, Desert, Forest, Ocean and more by storytellers from Arctic to Australia.

Durban Group for Climate Justice - An international network of independent organisations, individuals and people's movements who reject the approach to climate change promoted by polluting corporations, financiers, northern governments and economists. Views durable change as emanating primarily from grassroots and shopfloor movements for climate justice.

Ecosystems Climate Alliance (ECA) - An alliance of environment and social NGOs founded in December 2008 committed to keeping natural terrestrial ecosystems intact and their carbon out of the atmosphere, in an equitable and transparent way that respects the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

ExxonKnew - Reports have shown that Exxon knew about the threat of climate change decades ago. Yet over the course of nearly forty years, the company has contributed millions of dollars to think tanks and politicians that have done their best to spread doubt and misinformation. See a timeline of what Exxon knew about climate science, and what they've done to deny, hide, and muddy the truth.

Fight Global Warming - Campaign by Environmental Defense which produces public service announcements, and also allows you to calculate your climate impact.

Endangerment Finding: The Administrator finds that the current and projected concentrations of the six key well-mixed greenhouse gases -- carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) -- in the atmosphere threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations.

Cause or Contribute Finding: The Administrator finds that the combined emissions of these well-mixed greenhouse gases from new motor vehicles and new motor vehicle engines contribute to the greenhouse gas pollution which threatens public health and welfare.

Forecast the Facts - Dedicated to ensuring that Americans hear the truth about climate change: that temperatures are increasing, human activity is largely responsible, and that our world is already experiencing the effects.

Forests Now - A declaration calling on world governments to take urgent action on deforestation in the tropics and sub-tropics, which causes 18-25% of global carbon emissions, more than the world's entire transport industry.

Garnaut Climate Change Review - Commissioned by Australia's State and Territory Governments on 30 April 2007. Examines the impacts of climate change on the Australian economy, and recommends medium to long-term policies and policy frameworks to improve the prospects for sustainable prosperity.

Global Climate Campaign - The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives enlists cities to adopt policies and implement measures to achieve quantifiable reductions in local greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and enhance urban livability and sustainability.

Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment - Established by the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2008 to create a world-leading centre for policy-relevant research and training on climate change and the environment, bringing together international expertise on economics, finance, geography, the environment, international development and political economy.

Hansen, Dr. James E. - Official page. Hanson heads the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, a part of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Earth Sciences Division. He is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, and also serves as Al Gore's science advisor. Hansen is best known for his research in the field of climatology and his testimony on climate change to congressional committees in the 1980s that helped raise broad awareness of the global warming issue. Also see Wikipedia article.

ICLEI - An international association of local and metropolitan governments dedicated to sustainable development. Promotes local action for global sustainability and supports cities to become sustainable, resilient, resource-efficient, biodiverse, low-carbon; to build a smart infrastructure; and to develop an inclusive, green urban economy with the ultimate aim to achieve healthy and happy communities.

Impacts of Sea-Level Rise on the California Coast - This Pacific Institute report concludes that sea-level rise will inevitably change the character of the California coast, and that adaptation strategies must be evaluated, tested, and implemented if the risks identified in the report are to be reduced or avoided. Populations and critical infrastructure at risk are shown in detailed maps prepared by the Pacific Institute available online here. The report also explores how vulnerability to sea-level rise will be heightened among Californians who do not have a vehicle, do not speak English, or who live near hazardous waste facilities. Low-income households and communities of color are over-represented in these more vulnerable groups.

Inside Climate News - Covers clean energy, carbon energy, nuclear energy and environmental science-plus the territory in between where law, policy and public opinion are shaped.

Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change - Muslim scholars from 20 countries issued this declaration on 18 August 2015 calling on the world's 1.6 billion Muslims to do their part to eliminate dangerous greenhouse gas emissions and commit to renewable energy sources.

Living Within a Carbon Budget - A report by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Research, commissioned by Friends of the Earth and the Cooperative Bank, which presents new findings about the scale of emission reductions needed and about pathways to a low-carbon future.

Nature Climate Change - A monthly journal dedicated to publishing the most significant and cutting-edge research on the impacts of global climate change and its implications for the economy, policy and the world at large.

New Climate Economy, The - The flagship project of The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, a major international initiative to analyse and communicate the economic benefits and costs of acting on climate change.

NextGen Climate Action - A non-partisan, San Francisco-based organization focused on bringing climate change to the forefront of America's political dialogue. Founded by investor and philanthropist Tom Steyer in 2013, the organization acts politically to avert climate disaster and preserve American prosperity. Working at every level, it is committed to supporting candidates, elected officials and policymakers across the U.S. that will take action on climate change-and to exposing those who deny reality and cater to special interests.

Helio International - A network of energy analysts who identify, assess, measure and publicise the contribution of energy systems and policies to ecodevelopment (sustainable and equitable development).

Climate Service (NOAA) - To improve the ability of society to plan and respond to climate variability and climate change. The Climate Service will allow NOAA to provide a reliable and authoritative source for climate data, information, and decision support services and to more effectively coordinate with other agencies and partners.

Climate Program Office (CPO-NOAA) - Manages competitive research programs in which NOAA funds high-priority climate science, assessments, decision support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities designed to advance our understanding of Earth's climate system, and to foster the application of this knowledge in risk management and adaptation efforts.

Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD): Climate Change - The OECD aims to assist countries to implement effective and efficient policies to address climate change by conducting policy-relevant research and analysis. Mitigation of GHG emissions, adaptation policies, analysis of the connections between sustainability and climate change, and incentives and possible approaches to achieve long-term policy objectives are essential elements of the program.

Ozone Secretariat - The Secretariat for the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Pacific Institute - Works to create a healthier planet and sustainable communities. We conduct interdisciplinary research and partner with stakeholders to produce solutions that advance environmental protection, economic development, and social equity-in California, nationally, and internationally.

Philippines Climate Change Commission - The sole policy-making body of the government, tasked to coordinate, monitor and evaluate the programs and action plans of the government relating to climate change.

Protect Our Winters (POW) - Environmental center point of the global winter sports community, united towards a common goal of reducing climate change's effects on winter sports and local economies.

RealClimate - Commentary site on climate change by working climate scientists.

Redrawing the Energy-Climate Map - A special report from International Energy Agency mapping out the current status and expectations of global climate and energy policy.

Renewable Energy - A large solar energy and renewable energy portal promoting the use of renewable energy worldwide by offering news, educational and product information.

Resources for the Future (RFF) - Research on the environmental and economic aspects of climate change. Its publication,Resources, features stories on a variety of environmental, energy, and natural resource issues, and news about ongoing research and public outreach efforts.

Smoke & Fumes - The oil industry used the tobacco playbook in its fight against climate science. But where did tobacco get that playbook? Explore Smoke. The oil industry used science, communications, and consumer psychology to shape the public debate over climate change and block action decades earlier than anyone suspected. Explore Fumes.

Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change - Report from the chief British government economist and former World Bank chief economist that concludes "there is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, if we take strong action now" and that "the benefits of strong and early action far outweigh the economic costs of not acting ".

Story of Cap and Trade, The - A look at the leading climate solution being discussed at Copenhagen and on Capitol Hill. Host Annie Leonard introduces the energy traders and Wall Street financiers at the heart of this scheme and reveals the "devils in the details" in current cap and trade proposals: free permits to big polluters, fake offsets and distraction from what's really required to tackle the climate crisis. If you've heard about cap and trade, but aren't sure how it works (or who benefits), this is the film is for you.

Tiempo Climate Portal - A listing of selected websites covering climate and development and related issues. Also see Tiempo Climate Newswatch, a weekly on-line magazine with news, features and comment on global warming, climate change, sea-level rise and development issues.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - Over a decade ago, most countries joined an international treaty -- the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change -- to begin to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with whatever temperature increases are inevitable. More recently, a number of nations approved an addition to the treaty: the Kyoto Protocol, which has more powerful (and legally binding) measures. The UNFCCC secretariat supports all institutions involved in the climate change process, particularly the COP, the subsidiary bodies and their Bureau. This section provides background to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Kyoto Protocol texts, and search engine for the UNFCCC library.

U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) - Federal program mandated by U.S. Congress to coordinate Federal research and investments in understanding the forces shaping the global environment, both human and natural, and their impacts on society.

UN Green Climate Fund - United Nations' premier mechanism for funding climate change-related mitigation and adaptation in developing countries. But representatives of development, environment and social justice organisations say that while they support the Fund in principle, 'it needs to change direction away from accrediting controversial big banks [like Deutsche Bank] that are heavily invested in fossil fuels and thus actually exacerbating climate change.'

UN-REDD Programme - The United Nations Collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries. The Programme was launched in September 2008 to assist developing countries prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies, and builds on the convening power and expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) - A specialized agency of the United Nations. The WMO is the UN system's authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.

KWSnet is an Internet subject directory providing special attention to U.S. national and international news, the arts, computing, culture, environment, law, literature, media, politics, science and technology. Based in San Francisco, California, KWSnet contains over 125,000 annotated links to resources worldwide. Use Search KWSnet, located at the top of each page, to search within this site. Use Ctrl-F (Windows) or ⌘-F (Mac) to search within individual pages.

KWSnet Twitter provides news, culture, environment, media, politics, sci-tech, society, #art, #comics, #politicalcartoon, #illustration, #botd, #obit, but KWSnet is taking an extended leave of absence from the social networking service; it is not posting there at this time.

My Zotero Library provides news articles, primary and secondary sources, and bibliographic information for your research. More information on Zotero, a powerful, easy-to-use research tool, can be found at its site. Also recommended, subscribe to My Zotero Library RSS content for the latest updates.

KWSnet is completely non-commercial. It has no commercial objective or emphasis. Instead, it is intended for educational purposes, research, and personal use. It is updated regularly.